As part of NYC Comedy Fest, I went to see the writers of Colbert Report speak. It turns out that every day after the topics that they’re going to work on are chosen, they split up into pairs to work through the jokes.

The team of writers discussed how pairing up encourages conversation, helps them tests the way a joke will sound, and prevents writers block. They discussed how it helps them focus, catch grammatical errors, and generally produce more laughs. Hearing them espouse the virtues of not working alone reminded me of how we talk about paired programming at Pivotal.

It made me wonder about other examples of pairing, like co-pilots on a plane or rock climbing buddies where two people working together are definitely better than one. Then I was reminded of and another form of teaming up from my childhood which I’ve now come to use as the fastest explanation of how Pivotal develops software to old friends.

When we talk with prospects, clients, and recruits about our flavor of software development, it’s often the first time they have seen paired programming. As they watch Pivots develop software, they quickly see why it works and how it will help their project. Though there is much debate about paired programming’s advantages, it seems two people working together is successful in many arenas.

The first thing people notice is that by sharing a computer and switching off who is typing, developers are forced to talk to each other. Upon deeper investigation, it becomes clear that through conversation the easiest solution often surfaces.

Beyond other benefits, in the same way the comedic writers avoid writer’s block, working on tough development problems is more productive with someone else. And if you’re really stuck, once the ego is removed of one person having to provide a solution, developers are more inclined to ask other pairs for help.

The Colbert Report writing staff got me thinking about other situations where I had been exposed to pairing. I went to a Jewish community high school where we studied talmudic texts. It’s traditional to do what is referred to as “chavruta” learning, where each person has a buddy with whom they work through understanding the documented debates of the rabbis.

One of the tenets of this ancient form of learning is that it prevents someone from going down the wrong path for too long. The system challenges the student to verbally explain their perspective, question their partner’s reasoning, and often arrive at new conclusions. The parallels to flying a plane or climbing a mountain are easy to make. Similarly, at Pivotal we see how paired programming stops cowboy developers from implementing complicated code that may not be the simplest solution.

Recently, as our product and design teams have grown at the NYC office, we’ve begun pairing as non-developers. I’ve had multiple new PMs shadow me on a pairing station, where they can see my work email and projects in Tracker. It’s beneficial to them to see what’s happening without leering over my shoulder and soon they even contribute on the second keyboard.

An extra set of eyes can be incredibly helpful at making sure a user story is complete. My partner can catch a typo, make sure the description is clear, or check that all necessary acceptance criteria are included. After pairing on my project’s backlog with a newly hired PM, I conducted the smoothest iteration planning meeting I’ve ever had.

Our design team has also been pairing more recently and found it very effective.

Share a story of how pairing worked for you! Or… read some more examples of pairing success to be inspired.

At Pivotal Labs we have a few basic rules for meetings. Number one: No Laptops Allowed.

At first this may seem counterintuitive and inefficient, especially for a software development firm. However, client and team members alike are pretty quick to convert once they experience the benefits of this simple rule, which has an immediate and profound effect on productivity and engagement.

We all know that the multi-function, connected devices we love are distracting, if not addictive. And of course weʼve all had the experience of missing something important during a meeting while sneaking a peak at an email or researching some random factoid that seemed crucial at the time. But thereʼs more subtle distractions that occur when a team member keeps a laptop open during a meeting, even when itʼs being used for something relevant to the work at hand.

Before I came to Pivotal, I used my laptop to take notes. Once I got here, I quickly learned that while this practice may have seemed beneficial to me personally (and therefore the wider team who could read my notes later), it was actually doing more harm than good. First, thereʼs simply the sound of typing, a small, but real distraction that interrupts the flow of conversation. Then thereʼs the barrier it formed between me and the other teammates – literally a physical barrier and psychological cue that I was not connecting. And finally, it was an invitation for others to open up their laptops, which becomes a slippery slope of divided attention.

Easier said then done, but the solution was in fact simple: remove the distraction and close the laptop. It took me some time to adjust, because as a product manager a big part of my job is being the center of information for the team, but I havenʼt looked back since.

At Pivotal, we emphasize that meetings are for teams to connect and engage in healthy communication. We keep staffing lean and our meetings efficient, so it is essential that everyone stays engaged to share their important perspectives on risks and opportunities for minimizing them. Our conference rooms always have an ample supply of index cards, pens, and markers, and a whiteboard, so if somebody has a useful diagram or thought, itʼs easy to share with each other instead of squirreling it away in Evernote and missing a chance to expand on a great idea.

Of course there are exceptions to every rule, and I want to emphasize that there are times when a laptop is welcome at a meeting, even here at Pivotal. Sometimes we use laptops to project designs, site builds, or Pivotal Tracker, or to dial in a remote team member. But we always use it to collaborate and work together, and with full awareness of the purpose. And with distracting notifications turned off to keep the focus on the meeting.

Interested in testing the laptop free waters? Try it out for just the first ten minutes of the meeting. There are few emails that can’t wait that long. More importantly, you will realize how much clearer the meeting is, and how much easier the conversation is to follow. And stay tuned for more tips and tricks from the product management team here at Pivotal.

Tami Reiss is a product manager at Pivotal Labs, where she helps clients create software that connects people and technology in new ways every day. She is fascinated by the emerging physical computing trend and is an avid cyclist. Follow her on Twitter at @tamireiss and read more of her blog posts here.